Bertsch had put himself in position to be fully exempt on the 2012 PGA Tour by playing his previous 35 holes in 8 under par at the final stage of Q-school in La Quinta, Calif. Though he didn’t know it at the time, all he needed was a par on the final hole of the tournament to regain full status on Tour.

Alas, the former Colorado Open champion hit his second shot into the water from the rough on the par-4 18th hole at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, took a double bogey and missed qualifying by two strokes.

As Dave Stockton Jr., noted at one point Monday on the Golf Channel telecast, “This tournament is brutal.”

So after three straight years of having a player with major Colorado connections earn a PGA Tour spot through Q-school, local golfers were shut out this time around. With the top 25 players and ties gaining their Tour cards, Bertsch and Andrew Svoboda of Golden tied for 38th, while 13-time Tour winner David Duval of Cherry Hills Village placed 72nd and former University of Denver golfer James Love was 111th.

Svoboda will be fully exempt on the Nationwide Tour for the third straight year in 2012, while Love will have conditional status on that Tour for the first time.

Meanwhile, despite Duval failing to get into the top 25 — he was two strokes out of a qualifying spot for a while Monday before going 6 over par in five holes — he’ll get plenty of PGA Tour starts in 2012 by virtue of what he accomplished during his 20s.

Bertsch’s situation is far more tenuous as he’s never won on the PGA Tour, though he’s earned almost $2.3 million in 155 Tour events. The 41-year-old Colorado native played this past season on a medical extension which gave him 21 tournaments to earn $729,869 in order to remain fully exempt. Given that he made $488,584 in 20 tournaments, he will go into 2012 needing to make $241,285 in his season opener to keep his full status on Tour. But regardless, Bertsch will have conditional Tour status (thanks to finishing 143rd on the 2011 money list) and a Nationwide Tour exemption to fall back on. He’s won two Nationwide events in his career.

Earning a Tour card at Q-school is no small matter as Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Brandt Jobe can attest. Last year, Jobe regained his Tour exemption by finishing sixth in the final stage, then went on to earn more than $1.6 million this year on the Tour.

In addition to the 27 players who earned their PGA Tour cards on Monday — top-25 finishers Roberto Castro and Mark Anderson had already gotten cards — the next-nearest number to 50 gain full Nationwide Tour status going into 2012. The rest of the Q-school finalists receive conditional cards on the Nationwide circuit.

Here is how the players with strong Colorado connections fared in the Tour qualifying finals: Shane Bertsch of Parker 67-71-74-76-67-71–426 (38th place); Andrew Svoboda of Golden 70-73-72-74-66-71–426 (38th place); David Duval of Cherry Hills Village 72-72-73-73-68-72–430 (72nd place); former DU golfer James Love 68-74-74-77-72-72–436 (111th place).
 

David Duval knows more about being the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world than he does about PGA Tour qualifying. After all, he’s played in only three Q-school tournaments in his life, while he spent about 3 1/2 months in 1999 atop the World Golf Rankings.

Yet the golfer who resides in Cherry Hills Village recently hit the nail right on the head with his take on Q-school.

“It’s people’s livelihoods, the dreams they’re trying to pursue,” Duval said after his runner-up finish in a second-stage tournament of Tour qualifying in mid-November. “I know I’m going to be able to play regardless (of the outcome), and it’s still stressful for me. People who haven’t been out (on Tour) and don’t have that kind of history or record behind them, (the pressure) is exponential.”

By virtue of his stellar play during his 20s — when he won 13 times on Tour, including a British Open — Duval will get to play plenty of Tour events next year no matter how he performs this week in the final stage of Tour qualifying. The 108-hole tournament, where 173 competitors will try to finish among the top 25 players and ties in order to earn their 2012 PGA Tour cards, will be held Wednesday through next Monday (Nov. 30-Dec. 5) in La Quinta, Calif. Those who don’t qualify for the PGA Tour will have at least some Nationwide Tour status next year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, 142 golfers will be vying for LPGA Tour playing privileges at the final stage of that circuit’s qualifying, which is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday (Nov. 30-Dec. 4) in Daytona Beach, Fla. The top 40 finishers and ties will gain 2012 LPGA Tour status.

While Duval doesn’t have to sweat bullets over the final outcome of Q-school, the stakes are much higher for most players. In fact, the results could be life-changing.

A total of 11 players — seven women and four men — with significant Colorado ties will be competing in their respective final-stage tournaments. On the men’s side, joining Duval will be Shane Bertsch of Parker (pictured above), Andrew Svoboda of Golden and former University of Denver golfer James Love.

At the LPGA tournament, in the field will be Dawn Shockley of Estes Park, Ashley Tait of Littleton, Kristin Walla of Aspen, part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker and former DU golfers Stephanie Sherlock, Kimberly Kim and Sue Kim (Shockley also played for DU).

Here’s a brief rundown on each of the players with local ties:

— Shane Bertsch of Parker. A veteran of 155 PGA Tour events — and winner of two Nationwide Tour tournaments — Bertsch faces a crucial week at Q-school. If he fails to finish in the top 25, he’ll need to earn $241,285 in his next Tour event in order to keep his fully-exempt status. That’s because he’s been playing on a medical extension, having started 2011 needing to make $729,869 in 21 tournaments to remain fully exempt. Bertsch played 20 Tour events this year, making $488,584.

— David Duval of Cherry Hills Village. Because he finished outside of the top 150 on the Tour money list this year (152nd), Duval had to go to the second stage of Tour qualifying for the first time this fall. His previous two trips to Q-school, in 1993 and 2009, he went straight to the third and final stage of qualifying. Based on what happened in 2010 after he failed to regain his fully-exempt status, Duval could look forward to getting in more than 20 events next year even if he failed to finish in the top 25 at Q-school.

In any case, Duval knows that if he does come up short, it’s easier to get sponsor exemptions into tournaments after having given his best shot in qualifying.

“It’s an easier thing to ask for help when you’ve tried to help yourself,” said Duval, who turned 40 this month.

— Former DU golfer James Love. Love has never earned a PGA or Nationwide Tour card before this year, so being guaranteed Nationwide status is already a breakthrough for the winner of the 2009 Canadian Tour Championship.

— Andrew Svoboda of Golden. The former St. John’s golfer has been a full-time player on the Nationwide Tour the last two years, but the 32-year-old never has had his PGA Tour card.

As for the local contestants in the finals of LPGA Tour qualifying:

— Former DU golfer Stephanie Sherlock (pictured at left). Sherlock had the most successful season of any of the LPGA players with Colorado connections. In fact, she’s the only who survived a cut on Tour in 2011. Sherlock made five cuts in a dozen LPGA events and finished 101st on the Tour’s money list. She placed 14th in the final stage of LPGA qualifying last year to earn her Tour card.

— Former DU golfer Dawn Shockley. The longtime Coloradan almost earned her 2012 LPGA Tour card through her performance on the Futures Tour this year, but fell just short, finishing 13th on the money list. Now she gets another shot.

— Former DU golfer Kimberly Kim. The former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion had a tough rookie season on the LPGA Tour, missing the cut in all seven of her 2007 Tour events. The former teen phenom finished 14th in the final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying in 2011.

— Former DU golfer Sue Kim. Kim only spent one semester at DU, but she finished 50th in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, and the Canadian placed 42nd in the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying to get to this point.

— Kristin Walla of Aspen. The 2008 CWGA Match Play champion made it to the finals by finishing 15th in the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying.

— Ashley Tait of Littleton. Tait, winner of the 2008 CWGA Stroke Play title, advanced to the Q-school finals by finishing 55th in the second stage tournament.

— Part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker. Whitaker, a two-time CWGA Match Play champion, missed the cut in all seven of her LPGA Tour events during her rookie season. She finished 22nd in the final stage of Tour qualifying last year.

At the LPGA finals this year, after four rounds the field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties, all of whom at least will qualify for the Symetra Tour (formerly known as the Futures Tour).
 

David Duval knows more about being the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world than he does about PGA Tour qualifying. After all, he’s played in only three Q-school tournaments in his life, while he spent about 3 1/2 months in 1999 atop the World Golf Rankings.

Yet the golfer who resides in Cherry Hills Village recently hit the nail right on the head with his take on Q-school.

“It’s people’s livelihoods, the dreams they’re trying to pursue,” Duval said after his runner-up finish in a second-stage tournament of Tour qualifying in mid-November. “I know I’m going to be able to play regardless (of the outcome), and it’s still stressful for me. People who haven’t been out (on Tour) and don’t have that kind of history or record behind them, (the pressure) is exponential.”

By virtue of his stellar play during his 20s — when he won 13 times on Tour, including a British Open — Duval will get to play plenty of Tour events next year no matter how he performs this week in the final stage of Tour qualifying. The 108-hole tournament, where 173 competitors will try to finish among the top 25 players and ties in order to earn their 2012 PGA Tour cards, will be held Wednesday through next Monday (Nov. 30-Dec. 5) in La Quinta, Calif. Those who don’t qualify for the PGA Tour will have at least some Nationwide Tour status next year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, 142 golfers will be vying for LPGA Tour playing privileges at the final stage of that circuit’s qualifying, which is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday (Nov. 30-Dec. 4) in Daytona Beach, Fla. The top 40 finishers and ties will gain 2012 LPGA Tour status.

While Duval doesn’t have to sweat bullets over the final outcome of Q-school, the stakes are much higher for most players. In fact, the results could be life-changing.

A total of 11 players — seven women and four men — with significant Colorado ties will be competing in their respective final-stage tournaments. On the men’s side, joining Duval will be Shane Bertsch of Parker, Andrew Svoboda of Golden and former University of Denver golfer James Love.

At the LPGA tournament, in the field will be Dawn Shockley of Estes Park, Ashley Tait of Littleton, Kristin Walla of Aspen, part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker and former DU golfers Stephanie Sherlock (pictured above), Kimberly Kim and Sue Kim (Shockley also played for DU).

Here’s a brief rundown on each of the players with local ties:

— David Duval of Cherry Hills Village. Because he finished outside of the top 150 on the Tour money list this year (152nd), Duval had to go to the second stage of Tour qualifying for the first time this fall. His previous two trips to Q-school, in 1993 and 2009, he went straight to the third and final stage of qualifying. Based on what happened in 2010 after he failed to regain his fully-exempt status, Duval could look forward to getting in more than 20 events next year even if he failed to finish in the top 25 at Q-school.

In any case, Duval knows that if he does come up short, it’s easier to get sponsor exemptions into tournaments after having given his best shot in qualifying.

“It’s an easier thing to ask for help when you’ve tried to help yourself,” said Duval, who turned 40 this month.

— Shane Bertsch of Parker. A veteran of 155 PGA Tour events — and winner of two Nationwide Tour tournaments — Bertsch faces a crucial week at Q-school. If he fails to finish in the top 25, he’ll need to earn $241,285 in his next Tour event in order to keep his fully-exempt status. That’s because he’s been playing on a medical extension, having started 2011 needing to make $729,869 in 21 tournaments to remain fully exempt. Bertsch played 20 Tour events this year, making $488,584.

— Former DU golfer James Love. Love has never earned a PGA or Nationwide Tour card before this year, so being guaranteed Nationwide status is already a breakthrough for the winner of the 2009 Canadian Tour Championship.

— Andrew Svoboda of Golden. The former St. John’s golfer has been a full-time player on the Nationwide Tour the last two years, but the 32-year-old never has had his PGA Tour card.

As for the local contestants in the finals of LPGA Tour qualifying:

— Former DU golfer Stephanie Sherlock. Sherlock had the most successful season of any of the LPGA players with Colorado connections. In fact, she’s the only who survived a cut on Tour in 2011. Sherlock made five cuts in a dozen LPGA events and finished 101st on the Tour’s money list. She placed 14th in the final stage of LPGA qualifying last year to earn her Tour card.

— Former DU golfer Dawn Shockley. The longtime Coloradan almost earned her 2012 LPGA Tour card through her performance on the Futures Tour this year, but fell just short, finishing 13th on the money list. Now she gets another shot.

— Former DU golfer Kimberly Kim. The former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion had a tough rookie season on the LPGA Tour, missing the cut in all seven of her 2007 Tour events. The former teen phenom finished 14th in the final stage of LPGA Tour qualifying in 2011.

— Former DU golfer Sue Kim. Kim only spent one semester at DU, but she finished 50th in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at the Broadmoor, and the Canadian placed 42nd in the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying to get to this point.

— Kristin Walla of Aspen. The 2008 CWGA Match Play champion made it to the finals by finishing 15th in the second stage of LPGA Tour qualifying.

— Ashley Tait of Littleton. Tait, winner of the 2008 CWGA Stroke Play title, advanced to the Q-school finals by finishing 55th in the second stage tournament.

— Part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker. Whitaker, a two-time CWGA Match Play champion, missed the cut in all seven of her LPGA Tour events during her rookie season. She finished 22nd in the final stage of Tour qualifying last year.

At the LPGA finals this year, after four rounds the field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties, all of whom at least will qualify for the Symetra Tour (formerly known as the Futures Tour).
 

The PGA Tour already has held pre-qualifying and the first stage of Q-school in the months-long process that determines the remaining players who will be exempt on Tour in 2012.

But this is where it gets down to the nitty gritty. The second stage of Tour qualifying will be held this week, and the players who are successful in advancing to the final stage will be guaranteed at least some status on the Nationwide Tour next year.

That’s no small matter considering that 60 golfers earned at least $100,000 on the Nationwide circuit in 2011.

Of course, the big carrots out there for Q-school competitors are the PGA Tour cards that will be awarded to the top 25 finishers and ties in the final stage of qualifying Nov. 30-Dec. 5 in La Quinta, Calif.

With all that on the line, 14 golfers with strong Colorado connections will compete this week in the second stage of Tour qualifying. Six sites — all in Florida, Texas or California — will host second-stage tournaments, which each will feature 74 to 78 players competing over four rounds.

The number of golfers who will advance to the final stage from each site hasn’t been set, but last year 19 or 20 and ties qualified from each stage 2 tournament.

Among the players with Colorado ties competing this week are David Duval (pictured) of Cherry Hills Village, a former No. 1-ranked player in the world. Although Duval still has past-champions status on Tour (he’s won 13 times), he’s no longer fully exempt after finishing 152nd on this year’s money list.

Leif Olson, a former Colorado resident who owned a PGA Tour card in 2009, also is scheduled for stage 2, along with former University of Denver golfer Danny Wax, who played on the 2011 Nationwide Tour after winning a stage 2 tournament last year.

Here’s the rundown of the local players competing this week:

Humble, Texas Nov. 15-18 — Michael Baird of Castle Rock, Andrew Svoboda of Golden.

McKinney, Texas Nov. 15-18 — Pat Grady of Broomfield, former DU golfer James Love, former DU golfer Danny Wax.

Panama City Beach, Fla. Nov. 16-19 — Nick Mason of Denver, former Colorado resident Leif Olson.

Murrieta, Calif. Nov. 16-19 — Duvid Duval of Cherry Hills Village, former Coloradan Marty Jertson, Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch, former Castle Rock resident Esteban Toledo, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield.

Plantation, Fla. Nov. 16-19 — Zen Brown of Arvada, Blake Moore of Denver.

Besides the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying, the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying will be played this week, Nov. 15-18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The top five finishers out of the 78-man field will be fully exempt on the 2012 Champions Tour, while the next seven finishers will be conditionally exempt.

Former University of Colorado golfer Steve Jones, the 1996 U.S. Open champion, is among those playing. Jones returned to competitive golf in 2011 after missing several years while battling a severe case of tennis elbow and other medical/injury issues. A CU teammate of Jones’, Mikael Hogberg, also will compete this week, along with Gary Hallberg of Castle Rock, who already has status on the 2012 Champions Tour.
 

It’s very costly, and the chances for a big payoff are close to nil.

But it’s also the holy grail for golfers who aspire to be top-level playing professionals, so it’s no wonder why the Q-school process for the elite U.S.-based tours lasts for months on end.

This is the time of year when qualifying for those major tours gears up considerably, especially for the PGA and LPGA. The Champions Tour Q-school will get rolling next month. In each case, there’s no shortage of Coloradans involved.

Entry fees will put a dent in the wallet, running from roughly $2,500 to more than $5,000, depending on the tour and where a player starts in the process. And that doesn’t even count potentially thousands in travel and related expenses.

In addition, the odds are stacked heavily against most players, especially those who are forced to go through multiple stages of tournaments. At the end of the day, roughly 25-30 players will earn their 2012 playing privileges for the PGA Tour, with a similar number making the LPGA Tour. A dozen players gain some status on the Champions Tour, though only five are fully exempt.

Nevertheless, hopes are very high at this point, given that it’s early in the process.

Here’s the rundown on the various tours, and which local players are competing in PGA and LPGA Tour qualifying tournaments this month.

PGA TOUR

There are four stages in Q-school, including Pre-Qualifying. In all, there will be 27 qualifying tournaments played — seven in Pre-Qualifying, 13 in First Stage, six in Second Stage, and one in the Final Stage. Pre-Qualifying runs Sept. 13-23, First Stage is Oct. 18-29, Second Stage Nov. 15-19 and Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 5. In that final stage, the top 25 finishers and ties earn 2012 PGA Tour cards, with the rest of the players receiving some level of Nationwide Tour status.

No players with major Colorado ties competed in the four Pre-Qualifying tournaments already held, but more than 10 will be involved in the coming week. The list includes the last two CGA Players of the Year, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora (2010, pictured above) and Steve Ziegler of Broomfield (2009). Wiebe has finished second and third in the last two HealthOne Colorado Opens, while Ziegler was sixth this year.

Here’s what’s coming up in PGA Tour Pre-Qualifying, where roughly half the field at each site advances to the First Stage:

— Sept. 21-23 in Dallas — Local participants: former CSU golfer Dustin Morris, Gunner Wiebe of Aurora.

— Sept. 21-23 in Nebraska City — Local participants: former CU golfer Justin Bardgett, Tommy Carpenter of Englewood, Tom Gempel of Parker, Grant Jackson of Aurora, Jonathan Shaver of Parker, Luke Symons of Aurora, Steve Ziegler of Broomfield.

— Sept. 21-23 in Maricopa, Ariz. — Local participants: Riley Arp of Fort Collins, Nicholas Hodge of Littleton.

First Stage sites include Kannapolis, N.C.; Lakeland, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Dayton, Nev.; Kingwood, Texas; Auburn, Ala.; Pinehurst, N.C.; Lantana, Texas; St. Augustine, Fla.; Hollister, Calif.; Valdosta, Calif.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Beaumont, Calif.

Second Stage will be held in Humble, Texas; Brooksville, Fla.; McKinney, Texas; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Murrieta, Calif.; and Plantation, Fla.

This year’s Final Stage is scheduled for La Quinta, Calif.

LPGA TOUR

LPGA Tour qualifying consists of three stages this year, and Futures Tour qualifying is now incorporated, instead of being separate, as in the past. The First Stage was July 26-29, the Second will be Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla., and the Final Stage is set for Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The number of 2012 LPGA cards available has yet to be determined, but last year the top 20 finishers in the Final Stage were fully exempt, with the next-best performers earning partial exemptions. The rest of the finishers in the Final Stage will earn some level of Futures Tour status.

Among the players already in the Final Stage is Coloradan Dawn Shockley, who earned her spot by finishing 13th on the 2011 Futures Tour money list. Also expected in the event are former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim and part-time Denver resident Alison Whitaker, who have LPGA Tour cards for 2011 but have yet to make a cut.

Here is what’s upcoming in the LPGA Tour qualifying process:

— Second Stage Sept. 27-30 in Venice, Fla. (the top 70 finishers and ties out of a field of about 240 advance to the Final Stage) — Local participants: former DU golfer Ellie Givens (competing as an amateur); Kelly Jacques of Longmont (pictured above); former DU golfer Katie Kempter, who played on the LPGA Tour in 2010; Ashley Tait of Littleton; Kristin Walla of Aspen; and CU golfer Jessica Wallace (competing as an amateur). Jacques, by the way, will be one of the contestants on Golf Channel’s Big Break Ireland. The taped program premieres Tuesday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. (MT)

— Final Stage Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

As in the past, there will be two stages of Champions Tour qualifying — the regionals and finals. Regional tournaments will be held Oct. 25-28 in Montgomery, Texas, and Oct. 26-29 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Primm, Nev.

The top players will advance to the Final Stage Nov. 15-18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. There, out of a field of 78 contestants, the top five finishers will be fully exempt for 2012, with the next seven conditionally exempt.

As of earlier this month, HealthOne Colorado Senior Open champion R.W. Eaks, a Colorado Springs native, was deciding whether to enter the Final Stage, which will be played at his home course in Scottsdale. Eaks has won four times on the Champions Tour.